Sydney pitched as global talent hub

Sydney’s lifestyle appeal, dominance in the finance, ICT and research sectors, world- class education offering and highly skilled multicultural workforce will be key selling points in a new campaign to position the Harbour City as a magnet for global talent.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade & Investment Andrew Stoner said the initiative, to be driven by the Committee for Sydney with support from the NSW Government, will build on Sydney’s existing advantages to attract more highly capable, internationally mobile talent to Sydney.

Mr Stoner announced the Global Talent Hub initiative as part of the Government’s response to the recommendations of high level Industry Taskforces in key priority sectors.

“NSW is Australia’s largest economy and a significant player in the Asia Pacific region, larger than the economies of Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia and Singapore. No other State has a higher concentration of key industries including ICT, media, telecommunications, finance & professional services, R&D and creative, than NSW.

“We have a highly skilled, multicultural workforce with around 20 per cent of the State’s population speaking a language other than English at home and 92 per cent of these people located in Sydney.

“We need to leverage these existing strengths, better link Sydney into global business networks, make it easier for local businesses and educators to attract internationally mobile skills, all to enhance Sydney’s profile as a global talent hub.”

Mr Stoner said a new Global Talent Hub Advisory Body, chaired by Daniel Labbad, Group COO at Lend Lease, will be developed and run with the Committee for Sydney.

“The new Advisory Body will comprise representatives from a range of leading global businesses, executive search agencies and universities including Talent2, Cisco, Huawei, UTS, PWC, Korn/Ferry and Redbridge Grant Samuel.

“It will also include Sir David Higgins, Australian businessman and former CEO of the London 2012 Summer Olympics Delivery Authority, and Lucy Turnbull AO, former Lord Mayor of Sydney.

“The initiative will support new research to better understand Sydney’s global positioning and the implications of migration for future innovation and competitiveness.

“A pilot program will review existing strengths, confirm key skills gaps, and build a better understanding of what attracts individuals to relocate here, and measures to address any barriers identified.

“The pilot will be completed by the end of August 2013, with actions to address priority issues and tailor Sydney’s global marketing approach to follow soon after.

“The Global Talent Hub initiative will also work with Business Events Sydney to target the thousands of international visitors that attend specialised business events in Sydney each year,” Mr Stoner said.